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New Media Comentary.
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
I Am Awesome, Watch Me Grow.
You know those awkward moments when you're chilling in the shower just thinking about how cool you are and all the clever things you've said. This is like that, except its got cool music behind it.
The Out of Control Spiral That is the Digital Future
The practical aspects of the papers I am studying are getting less and less relevant, as the digital jugernaught that is the Internet continues its unrelenting march into the mainstream. The traditional marketing powerhouses of print and broadcast media are beginning to feel the effects of this rise in digital marketing and as agencies scramble and adapt to this new and exciting medium we as audiences are being faced with a wide array of innovative digital campaigns.
Social media is rapidly cementing itself as a key player in future marketing mix’s and as the growth of information and communications technologies races skyward in an out of control spiral, the words “expert” and “guru” begin to lose their relevance.
As new technologies continue to emerge we are beginning to see a telescoping effect, whereby the time between game-changing developments is becoming shorter and shorter. And there are no signs that suggest this will slow down any time soon.
I can’t speak for everyone, but for me at least, these are very exciting times and as someone who has grown up immersed in these developing mediums I cannot wait to see where this out of control spiral takes us.
This blog by Tim I read on hotmix.co paints a very real and vivid picture as to the direction we are heading and what it means for digital marketers. It highlights the extent to which companies are going to have to adapt as the speed and scale of these new developments continues to increase.
Bellow is a research report I did as an assignment for one of my uni papers earlier in the year. This was the paper that sent me tumbling down the road I now find myself on. And the further I go, and the more I observe, the more relevant I think the words it contains are.
Have a read. I’d love to know what you think.
Patchwork Media - Managing ICTs, The Future of the NZ Boadcast Sector
A Marketers Inception
My Debut post on adreview.
For the past few years Hollywood has operated on a fairly predictable and conservative formula; they’ve made comic book movies, and they’ve made re-makes. Films like The Dark Night, Spiderman 1, 2 &3, Alice and Wonderland, Transformers, Iron Man 1&2, The A Team and Star Trek are just a fraction of movies - or products – to come off the Hollywood production line over this period. They all have one thing in common; they were chosen because of their marketability and their capacity to become more than just movies. They were chosen for their ability to become franchises. These films have shown that in today’s society a big box office movie has the potential to be so much more than just a film. Merchandise, video games, spin off cartoons are just some of the by-products of a well-marketed film. Hollywood are now more than ever transforming their movies into brands... (Read more)
NEW AGE ARTISTRY
One of the joys of social media - in particular social networking sites - are the various links and clips that when shared by a friend, show up in your news feed. As I was scrolling through mine today Sam Hill, a long standing Auckland DJ and Promoter, had shared this article - from on inthemix.com.au -which I found very interesting. Basically what it talks about is the apparent demise of the Club scene at the hands of the new age promoters. It highlights a trend where DJ’s are being booked based not on their skills and talent, but on their ability to inflate the guest-list. It raises examples that show just how far this trend goes, and brings forth instances where DJ’s were given quotas as to how many paying friends they must bring along. In response to these claims Sophie Page - ‘Home The Venue’s’ - argued by saying:
“Sublime was hammered on ITM for having quotas, but it was taken somewhat out of context,” she says. “We are all about our DJs promoting the brand, as well as themselves, so we can build something bigger than a local dancefloor. What we did put in place was a bonus pay scheme so we could get some more dollars into their pockets and motivate them to really push themselves further than through a new event on Facebook.”
What its basically saying is that from a business and marketing perspective, social media and the ability to utilize it effectively is a hugely valuable and important skill. It is a trend that is not just confined to DJing and the club scene either; it applies to many businesses across a wide array of industries. It highlights, in no uncertain terms, the effectiveness of social media as a promotional tool and the unfamiliar scenario in which young people have the upper hand.
The fact of the matter it’s the young up-and-comers that are making the most noise in the world of social media, and because of that they are generating large followings and securing more sets. Clubs and events want to become bigger than local dancefloors, and they recognise social media as one of the key mediums that can get them there. The DJ’s who can offer them the greatest exposure are the ones with the greatest online presence. And as it appears they are more often than not the young up-and-comers.
This is the idea that interests me the most. In times past it was the older generations that were looked up to. They were seen as wise and knowledgeable and they represented the top of a fairly ridged working structure that saw young people having to work the ranks before earning a place atop the ladder. The Information Revolution however, has seen the “wise and knowledgeable” factor whittle away. The rise of the internet gave young people an infinite source of knowledge that they could tap whenever they wanted. This resulted in the role reversal we see today; young people, after growing up with the Internet are proving to be the experts in the field of social media and as such are leaving their older counter parts confessed and frustrated in their wake.
A movie I saw recently which illustrated all of this perfectly was the superhero film Kick Ass. The movie as a whole was decidedly average but it dealt with this particular scenario well. Without regurgitating the whole plot it was about Dave Lizewski, a geeky teenager who decided to dress up in a costume and become the super hero Kiss Ass. A serious car crash, a public brawl and a YouTube video later and Kiss Ass had become the new web phenomenon. As Dave put it; “[his] MySpace: 38 friends, Kiss Ass’s MySpace: 16,000 and counting.” This did a great job of Illustrating the speed at which information flows through social media, and its power as a communications medium.
As the movie progressed the evil mob boss villain was revealed. Enter Frank D’Amico, an aging mobster with a geeky 17 year old son. When D’Amico’s attempts at canvassing the streets looking for Kick Ass failed he reluctantly decided to enlist his son Chris’s help. Chris, upon transforming into another superhero Red Mist, effortlessly utilized the power of social networking sites to track down and meet up with Kick Ass. This particular segment illustrated the extent to which the pendulum has swung and transferred to the power to the younger generation. Frank D’Amico was a feared and powerful mob boss with years of wisdom and knowledge behind him. In many respects he was far more skilled than his son, but his refusal to embrace new technology caused him to hit a brick wall when looking for Kick Ass. A wall his son was easily able to climb.
A scene towards the end of the film summed it up nicely; Chris had captured a gun fight on a teddy bear nanny-cam and had burst into his Dads office to show him. Frank, not knowing what the teddy was or how to use it was quickly told to sit down on the couch while Chris plugged the bear into the TV and showed his Dad the video. In a picture that resembled a teacher teaching some pupils we the audience were shown the power that the young geeky teenagers now posses, as well as the dangers that can become of refusing to embrace new technology.
But I Digress. Going back to the article on the clubbing scene from the beginning of this post; when reading it I asked myself is this trend a good thing? It has obviously led to a scenario where DJs with average mixing skills are landing gigs ahead of their more skilled counterparts. From a strictly musical perspective it is definitely not a good direction to be travelling, and to be honest I find it concerning. However, to dismiss these young up-and-comers as punks with no talent is in my opinion short sighted. Their ability to successfully navigate and manipulate the world of social media is in itself an amazing skill. While the older more experienced DJs can manipulate and control a crowd from behind the decks, the new age promoter/DJ can do it from behind a computer. Their ability to build a brand, and inspire a drove of “friends” is at the end of the day a far more desirable talent from a business and marketing perspective. This is something that the older generations definitely need to look out for as a refusal to embrace social media will surely put them at a disadvantage.
Sorry for the length, it’s been a while so I had a lot of pent up opinion to get out. I’m currently working on a social media experiment for an upcoming post, so make sure you stay tuned. When it’s all done it should be a good read.
- Jake
THE FUTURE IS NOW
I recently stumbled across an ingenious facebook group called the Trademe auction bombarders! Now basically what these guys do is every week they pick one lucky trademe auction and bombard it with funny and witty questions about the product. Now I say lucky due to the fact that it is an extremely effective use of new media and new communications technology to promote a product. This is a trend that we are seeing more and more in the marketplace as we charge through this rapidly changing technological landscape. Schneezy Mcgee, the group’s creator, personifies a new age marketer. He is at the cutting edge of technology riding the wave of new and social media by utilizing the new promotional mediums they create. To get an idea of just how revolutionary and visionary this approach is we must first understand where we have come from and thus the direction we are heading.
The nature of marketing has changed dramatically over the past few decades as a result of the development and implication of new information and communication technologies (ICT’s). Perhaps the most influential ICT over this period has been the Internet, and it continues to grow. Since 1997 Internet traffic has doubled annually, and due to constant enhancements it continues to grow at that rate. In 1990 the average speed of the internet was 9.6kbs, in 2000 the introduction of broadband saw speeds to increase to 512kbs, and now as we charge through 2010 speeds are set to increase to a staggering 100mbs (100,000kbs). This huge increase in bandwidth availability has opened the door for the transmission of data rich content like HDTV (high definition television), Radio Broadcasts and Full Magazines and Newspapers to be streamed over the internet, thus taking a lot of power away from the traditional media outlets.
This rapid growth of the internet is crippling traditional media channels and thus advertising and promotional mediums. Magazines and newspapers are on the verge of death; the emergence of the iPad enables consumers to access their news and culture online. Traditional over-the-air radio broadcasting is also on the verge of extinction with experts predicting that by 2020 the last terrestrial radio transmitter will be turned off in America, with the last in the UK being turned off in 2015. And even TV isn’t safe, the birth of on-demand free video content like youtube.com is completely changing the way young people consume their television and the more they watch youtube the less they watch TV. In a nut shell everything is going digital and online. This is particularly concerning for marketers who are left with mediums with diminished audiences, and thus less promotional merit. Therefore innovative new mediums must be found on the internet and marketers must utilize the capabilities of the new and emerging ICT’s.
In regards to Schneezy Mcgee, the group’s creator, his utilization of one of the fastest emerging ICT’s, social media, is indicative of the direction we are going as an audience. The future appears to be in interactivity, with evidence of this sprouting up through all forms of traditional media. News websites are now allowing readers to post feedback and opinion at the bottom of their stories, thus encouraging readers to engage further with the material. Radio stations have introduced txt machines and set up twitter and facebook feeds and are encouraging listeners to provide feedback and interact with DJ’s. Even TV is heading this way with broadcasters who are using multicasting (e.g. TVNZ on demand) looking to establish interactive advertising. This is essentially where viewers would be able to click on and purchase products in the programme they are viewing online. For example a designer dress worn by a character on an episode of ‘The Hills’ could be clicked on by viewers who will then be directed to a retail website where that dress could be purchased. This increased interactivity is valuable as it encourages greater engagement and thus prolonged interest in the content, which in turn means greater promotional visibility. Social media in this regard is a gold mine for marketers as it provides an audience that can engage with the product.
This is where we can truly see the revolutionary aspects of the Trademe auction bombarders! Their success as a promotional tool lies in there encouragement of not only interaction but engagement. The group’s challenge for consumers to create witty and funny questions about the product requires them to critically look at and think about the product. It burns it in into their brain by forcing them to consider every aspect of it in order to create a well worded, well thought out question. In order to fully appreciate the effectiveness of this one only needs to look at how consumers engage with older promotional mediums such as billboards. They are looked at, processed then forgotten. Interactivity is the future and the Trademe auction bombarders! Are the guides.
By Jake Davy
NOTE: The Trademe auction bombarders! have been closed down due to the complaints of a few of the older trademe users
The Finished Product
Wide-eyed and open-mouthed I stared up at the screen; legitimately worried I was in the wrong place. I rummaged around in my pocket, pulling out the scrunched up ticket stub, re-reading it in disbelief: “Clash of the Titans 3D”. Shaking my head I reluctantly shifted my eyes back to the screen. What I saw was not a movie; it was the latest product to be churned out of the Hollywood production line. From the unimaginative and predictable storyline, to the shallow wooden characters, I’d seen it all before. Only it wasn’t good the first time, so why would it be good now?
Unlike “Avatar” and “Alice and Wonderland”, “Clash of the Titans” wasn’t intended to be 3D. It was written and shot as a 2D film, but after the record breaking success of “Avatar” the decision was made to add another dimension in post-production. In all my technological curiosity I was dying to see how this film would stack up visually. The ability to successfully transform a film into 3D is an exciting concept, one that will theoretically result in the 3D re-mastering of many old, classic movies. After seeing “Clash of the Titans” however, I am far less optimistic. I’m not going to delve into all of the films shortcomings. That would require me to relive it, and frankly once was more enough. What I will say is that the third dimension in this film (or product) was necessary, it provided the film with the depth that its storyline could not. And above all it made it marketable.
This, it appears, is where the industry is headed. The big studios continue to churn out films whose merits lie not on their complex storylines and cinematic originality, bit in their marketability. And 3D has emerged as the perfect platform for these films to launch.
Disney’s recent hiring of MT Carney, as their new marketing chief, highlights the extent to which this trend is gripping Hollywood. It goes against the entrenched belief that movie marketing is a specialist skill possessed by only a select few within the industry. Carney has no movie background. She made her name as the co-founder and owner of naked communications, a marketing firm that specializes in the new global marketing landscape. Her background is in the consumer-marketing world, a world where she worked with companies like Coca-Cola and Nokia. This illustrates how the big studios are beginning to view and market their movies. A big box office movie now has potential to be so much more than just a film. Merchandise, video games, spin off cartoons are just some of the by-products of a well-marketed film. They are transforming these movies into brands.
The consensus industry reaction seems to suggest that Carney will not last long in this new and unfamiliar role. I for one feel that this is where we are heading, and that in this consumer driven market she has a chance to revolutionize how these films are perceived by the public. Time will tell.
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